RFP: Professional Conservation Planning and Facilitation Services for The Columbia Land Conservancy

The Columbia Land Conservancy (CLC) seeks the services of a planning consultant with strong facilitation and writing skills. The consultant will design and facilitate a collaborative strategic conservation planning process involving representatives of multiple local communities and work with CLC staff to develop and produce a Countywide Conservation Plan (“Plan”) for Columbia County, New York. The plan will identify, inventory, and analyze both ecological as well as cultural resources present in Columbia County, with public input, to determine the lands and spaces most critical to protect through conservation actions.

Contact Person Sam Calhoun, Conservation Programs Manager sam.calhoun@columbialand.org

Budget Not to exceed $45,000

Timeline September 2024 – September 2025

Please Click Here for full RFP

RFP: Policy and Data Research on Temporary and Emergency Housing for New York Land Bank Association

The New York Land Bank Association (NYLBA) is seeking a professional consultant to gather data and to draft a report on temporary and emergency housing in New York State and opportunities for land banks to partner with local governments in addressing issues.  

The goal for this whitepaper is to summarize local governments’ protocols for dealing with temporary and/or emergency housing, including level of need, shortfalls and successes of current municipal temporary/emergency housing efforts, and provide recommendations for creating strong partnerships between land banks, local governments, and stakeholders.

BACKGROUND 

The New York Land Bank Association (NYLBA) and its Rural Land Bank Committee recognize statewide challenges in temporary/emergency housing programs administered by their partner Counties’ Social Services Departments. NYLBA is seeking a consultant(s) to assist the NYLBA with drafting a whitepaper outlining the issues and opportunities in temporary/emergency housing. In addition, the report should offer brief recommendations for land banks and counties to consider while initiating conversations at the local level. Eligible respondents include professional consultants, graduate program students and professors, technical assistance nonprofits, or other qualified individuals or entities. 

County Social or Human Services Departments traditionally house individuals and families needing temporary or emergency assistance in area motels or hotels. In context with the statewide and national housing crisis, worsened by the Covid-19 pandemic, many of these Social Services Departments are experiencing rapidly growing need and escalating costs. Many counties, especially in rural areas, have a limited inventory of available rental units available to families to transition into permanent housing. The limited supply of permanent housing solutions is increasing the durations of stay at motels and contributing to the growing costs experienced by local governments. Social Service providers and local officials facing increased need, and the associated rising costs, would benefit from alternative models for temporary/emergency housing. 

Land banks can be impactful resources for local governments and service providers addressing temporary/emergency housing needs by repurposing tax-foreclosed, vacant and abandoned properties into safe, clean, and cost-effective housing. Land bank properties utilized by partnering counties for emergency placement can also serve other needs associated with temporary housing or related programs. The intent for this whitepaper is to assist statewide land banks, local and county governments, and non-profit stakeholders in an assessment of policy options, strategic planning efforts, and partnership agreements that can meet the needs and overcome challenges. The selected consultant shall provide broad recommendations from a state-wide perspective, not individual recommendations for each subject municipal jurisdiction being studied. Rather, the selected consultant will focus on current and relevant data to highlight how communities are addressing temporary/emergency housing challenges and possible ways that collaborative partnerships with land banks could be a resource. 

EXPECTED WORK PRODUCT

The NYLBA believes that land banks can play a valuable role in addressing these issues. The whitepaper will further research and summarize the problem in identified rural counties including, but not limited to: 

·         Number of individuals and families served

·         Average duration of stay

·         Average cost per night 

·         Emergency units available

·         Total costs to local governments relying on publicly available data and administered surveys.  

·         Consultant and participating land banks will work to identify and refine parameters. 

Participating Land Banks to be Surveyed: 

·         Allegany County Land Bank Corporation 

·         Wayne County Regional Land Bank Corporation 

·         Finger Lakes Regional Land Bank Corporation (Seneca County)

·         Chautauqua County Land Bank Corporation 

·         Sullivan County Land Bank Corporation 

·         Chemung County Land Bank Corporation 

·         Livingston County Land Bank Corporation

Potentially Participating:

·         Tioga County Property Development Corporation

The whitepaper will also present case studies from Wayne and Livingston Counties to showcase existing programs and partnerships between local governments and land banks. The paper should conclude with policy recommendations that will target partnerships between land banks, local social service providers, and county governments to utilize formerly tax-foreclosed, vacant, and abandoned land bank properties to create temporary/emergency housing. 

Consultant Scope: 

·         Identify and compile publicly available county level data for the identified counties on emergency housing including annual spending, households served, duration of stay, etc. 

·         Survey participating counties and land banks on emergency or transitional housing issues and opportunities. Survey would include both quantitative and qualitative questions and incorporate the various terminology used from county to county for similar programs. 

·         Work with participating land banks on administering surveys in partnership with local county Social Services Departments. 

·         Identify how counties are funding current programing for transitional or emergency housing (eg. general fund, state, or federal grants etc.).

·         Research and incorporate relevant census data including population, households, median income, etc., as necessary. 

·         Compile and present results of the research above including a brief list of known funding sources, eligibility information, requirements, restrictions, etc. that could potentially be leveraged in a county-land bank partnership model. 

·         Conduct at least one remote teleconference with stakeholders from both Wayne and Livingston County case studies. Budget for at least one additional teleconference. 

·         Summarize and analyze the nascent programs and partnerships forming in Wayne and Livingston Counties utilizing land bank resources to address emergency/temporary housing in partnership with local governments. 

·         Identify at least one other example of a creative solution for emergency housing development at the county or local level with project components that could be adapted to land banks. 

·         Summarize issues of temporary housing in rural NYS. The opportunities for partnership based on survey results and case studies, and policy recommendations and/or next steps. 

·         Organize and attend bi-weekly check-in teleconferences with the NYLBA project team. 

·         Compile, draft, and format whitepaper.

Proposal Submission Requirements:

·         Three page written response

·         Resume(s) (not included in page limit)

·         Relevant example of previous work product (not included in page limit)

·         References

Expected Project Duration: 3 Months 

Questions will be accepted via email by Wednesday, May 22, 2024. Responses will be distributed within one week.

Proposal submissions due by email by 4:00 PM on Friday, June 1, 2024.

Jonathan Link Logan

Senior Manager of Neighborhood Development

CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity

jlinklogan@centerstateceo.com

Note: Jonathan Link Logan is facilitating the RFP process on behalf of the NYLBA but not managing it. Jonathan will work with NYLBA members to gather and share responses as quickly and efficiently as possible but will not be available for direct questions or phone calls regarding this opportunity.

Chapter Administrator, expressions of interest sought

The New York Upstate Chapter of the American Planning Association is seeking expressions of interest from qualified firms or individuals able to provide the services of Chapter Administrator. The Chapter Administrator provides services as a consultant in accordance with a Scope of Services and is not an employee of the Chapter or the American Planning Association. The term of the agreement for the engagement is typically 12 months. The Chapter is accepting expressions of interest through May 24, 2024. A full request for proposals is expected to be released by May 31, 2024.

Prior scopes of service have included the following tasks:

• Coordinate of communications among Executive Board, Sections and the general membership as directed, primarily through electronic forms of communication and often occurs weekly.

• Assist with the Annual Conference and a spring chapter event, including soliciting and managing sponsorships, and promoting both events.

• Assist the Professional Development Officer to register and promote upcoming Certification Maintenance and other development opportunities.

• Manage chapter communications, including email updates (via MailChimp or similar), postings to the web site (CMS-based), and monitoring the Chapter email account (via Google Workspace).

• Solicit sponsorships for the website, annual conference, and any other opportunity by email and possibly phone follow-ups.

• Act as a liaison to partner organizations on behalf of the Chapter in order to facilitate more effective communication between the Chapter and our allied professional organizations, including AIA, ASLA, and the New York Planning Federation (NYPF).

• Perform additional tasks not included in the scope and assigned by the Executive Board as agreed upon and documented in a written task order on an hourly or other fee basis.

You may submit an expression of interest to the Chapter President via email at president@nyupstateplanning.org. Please provide the following:

• Name of the firm or individual expressing interest.

• A summary of key qualifications and experience working with membership-based organizations.

• Annotated resumes of key staff assigned to provide Chapter Administrator support.

• A fee proposal based on approximately 250 hours of work per year in consideration of the scope above.

• Contact information for additional questions or follow-up.

RFP: Downtown Revitalization Initiative Grant Application Consultant for the City of Ithaca

The City of Ithaca requests proposals for professional services to support the development of the City’s 2024 Downtown Revitalization Initiative grant application.

Proposals from interested firms are due by May 20, 2024. Your proposal will be reviewed, and you may be asked to interview with a committee of staff before a final selection is made. It is expected that a consulting firm will be selected, and a Professional Service Agreement awarded, in early June 2024.

Contact: Email questions to Tom Knipe, Deputy Director for Economic Development, tknipe@cityofithaca.org

Background/ Project Objectives:

The City and Downtown Ithaca Alliance (DIA) have applied unsuccessfully six times over the past eight years to New York State to receive a competitive $10 million Downtown Revitalization Initiative (DRI) grant. The DRI continues to be a key element of the State’s economic development program. Its goals are to transform downtown neighborhoods into vibrant centers that offer a high quality of life and are magnets for redevelopment, business, job creation, and economic and housing diversity. More information about the goals of the DRI program and past awardees can be found on New York State’s website:

https://www.ny.gov/programs/downtown-revitalization-initiative

In 2023, the City of Ithaca decided not to apply because of the changes in City and DIA leadership, and the ongoing work on both the Downtown Plan and Retail Study/Strategy Plan. Both of those will be completed this year, new leadership is in place, and we have gathered extensive feedback from Empire State Development, Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council members, and others involved with successful DRI grant applications in Upstate NY communities. Based on the information gathered, we believe that the City of Ithaca is in a strong position to apply for and receive a DRI grant in 2024. Preliminary discussions suggest there is support for focusing our 2024 DRI application on the West State Street Corridor and West End. These areas, with the downtown core, were the subject of our most recent DRI application in 2022, which by many accounts was our strongest application to date. These areas are also the focus of the City and DIA’s Downtown Plan, which is expected to be finalized and adopted soon. These are also areas of the city where we can demonstrate a clear need for revitalization and transformative impact of a DRI award. We are requesting proposals from consultants to support the City of Ithaca with our 2024 DRI application. The consultant scope of work assumes that the City and DIA will work to convene a DRI steering committee and will do some preliminary work to compile projects and a draft narrative, and that the consultant will coordinate public outreach, help articulate DRI projects that align with a compelling DRI vision and lead the development of the full DRI application. A more detailed proposed scope-of-work is outlined below.

Scope of Work

1. Conduct public outreach, to possibly include:

o Support DRI steering committee meetings in coordination with City and DIA staff

o Distribute call for project ideas

o Community survey – draft, distribute, compile and analyze results

o Targeted outreach to underrepresented communities – 2 focus groups or similar method

o Conduct public meetings – one or two, including designing informational materials for meetings

o Public walking tour - can be on the same day as public meeting (optional)

o Establish basic DRI website (optional)

2. Articulate DRI projects:

o Assistance in developing or choosing the key projects, including a methodology for doing so, to be included in the DRI application

o Interviews with 6-10 potential DRI project partners

o Produce renderings for up to 3 projects for which renderings are not otherwise available (we will not need new renderings for all proposed projects)

3. Develop full DRI application document and presentation materials:

o Document compilation/development

o Draft narrative

o Coordinate edits

o Graphic design – document layout, design

o A presentation template matching the design of the application document for presentation to the Southern Tier Regional Economic Development Council.

Schedule:

RFP Responses Due: Monday, May 20th, 2024, by 3:30pm

Selection process: May 20, 2024 – May 30, 2024

Award Contract: Early June 2024

Public Outreach: June, July 2024

Articulate DRI Projects: August, 2024

Application: August, 2024 (based on the previous years’ deadlines, we anticipate an application deadline in September, 2024. If the deadline occurs earlier, the schedule will need to be adjusted accordingly to meet ESD’s application deadline.

Submission Requirements

1. Lead Consultant Information

a. Firm name

b. Mailing address

c. Telephone

d. Website (if applicable)

e. Contact name, email, phone number

f. Form of Organization (partnership, corporation, sole proprietorship, etc.)

g. Where Organized

h. Names of principals, officers, and directors

2. Additional Consultants (if applicable). For each member of the consultant team, provide the

following:

a. Firm name

b. Mailing address

c. Telephone

d. Website (if applicable)

3. Key Personnel. For key personnel to be involved in the project, please provide names, titles,

period of service with the firm, and a resume or description of experience. Please limit

responses to no more than one page per person.

4. Detailed Project Proposal. Description of how the project team will approach each of the

major tasks described above. Include a description of how the team will be organized, who

will perform each of the tasks, amount of time the team expects to expend on each task

and what the finished product will be.

5. Budget and Timeline. Please provide a detailed timeline for all phases and tasks and a proposed budget for each.

6. Statement of Availability. Provide a brief statement on the availability of key personnel to undertake the proposed project, within the required schedule.

7. List of Relevant Projects. Provide a brief description of no more than eight projects equivalent in size or nature to the proposed project that have been successfully completed within the last seven years by the consulting firm, consulting team or key personnel. Please include the project budget.

8. Three References. Provide names, telephone numbers, and emails of persons to be contacted for references regarding past performance of the consulting firm, consulting team, or key personnel on similar projects.

Evaluation Criteria

Proposals will be evaluated based on the following criteria:

1. Experience and expertise in developing competitive planning and economic development related grant applications (30%)

2. Proven track record of securing DRI funding for other communities in Upstate NY (20%)

3. Experience in designing and implementing effective public engagement processes (20%)

4. Experience completing projects on tight deadlines, within budget, and in a professional and thorough manner (20%)

5. Clarity of proposal (10%)

Project Budget

A contract for the proposed scope of work will not exceed $40,000.

Attachments

 Downtown Plan - https://www.cityofithaca.org/771/Downtown-Plan (recommendations and link to survey)

 Downtown Plan - https://www.cityofithaca.org/DocumentCenter/View/16794/DRAFT- 2024-Ithaca-Downtown-Plan (full draft)

 2022 City of Ithaca DRI application – available upon request

Submission Schedule

Please submit one electronic copy of your response to this Request for Proposals no later than 3:30 PM Monday May 20, 2024. Email electronic copy to Tom Knipe, Deputy Director for Economic Development, tknipe@cityofithaca.org

RFP: Comprehensive Plan For the Town of Charleston. NY

The Town of Charleston, NY is requesting proposals from qualified planning consultants to assist in the development of the community’s first Comprehensive Plan to address current conditions and future sustainable growth within the township. The project is being funded by a 2023 Smart Growth Comprehensive Plan Contract T1002333 Grant from New York State Department of State.  New York State Department of State Grant amount is $36,000 and Town of Charleston contribution amount is $4000 totaling $40,000

Release Date: March 4, 2024

Proposal Due: May 15, 2024

The Town of Charleston (Contractor) and its Comprehensive Plan Steering Committee (hereinafter CPSC) will prepare a Comprehensive Plan pursuant to General City Law 28 /Town Law 272-a / Village Law 7-722. This Comprehensive Plan will establish the objectives that our community wants to achieve and will guide future sustainable growth within the Town of Charleston. The selected planning consultant will work closely with the Steering Committee to develop the Comprehensive Plan through a public process that will engage a variety of community stake holders. Charleston’s Comprehensive Plan needs to respond to short term and long-term needs of the community, establish the objectives that Charleston wants to achieve, guide future sustainable growth, enhance quality of life and protect natural and cultural local resources.

The Comprehensive Plan must address the following general Smart Growth Principles, in addition to elements suggested by the New York State statutes:

·        Promote mixed land uses in focus areas.

·        Create an adequate range of housing opportunities and choice.

·        Promote development and redevelopment where infrastructure is adequate and sustainable.

·        Build on traits that make a distinctive and attractive community with a strong sense of place.

·        Promote well-planned and well-placed public spaces.

·        Promote sustainable compact neighborhoods.

·        Increase mobility and circulation within jurisdictional lines and improve connectivity with areas outside jurisdictional lines.

·        Promote sustainable mass transit that reduces the local levels of greenhouse gas emissions.

·        Promote walk-able/bike-able neighborhood designs.

·        Promote and integrate clean energy resources and related incentives.

·        Improve green infrastructure and resident’s participation to this effort.

·        Increase resiliency to extreme weather events.

·        Encourage social diversity and integration.

·        Expand planning and implementation efforts across jurisdictional lines, to increase effectiveness, sustainability and resiliency.

Promote community and stakeholder collaboration in planning

The Contractor will use the funding/grant for consultant services necessary for the coordination of the planning process and preparation of the Comprehensive Plan.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Interested respondents must submit three (3) paper copies and one (1) electronic version (USB flash drive) of their proposal no later than 12:00 P.M. on May 15, 2024. Proposals should be submitted to:  

Town of Charleston – Town Hall

480 Corbin Hill Road

Charleston, NY 12066

Attention: Supervisor Robert Sullivan

Email charlestonsupervisor1@gmail.com

If you have further questions contact Jim Capron at 1-518-698-3502.

Proposals received after the scheduled time and date will not be accepted. Facsimile and email proposals will not be accepted.

SUBMISSION OF PROPOSALS

Interested respondents must submit three (3) paper copies and one (1) electronic version (USB flash drive) of their proposal no later than 12:00 P.M. on May 15, 2024. Proposals should be submitted to:

Town of Charleston – Town Hall

480 Corbin Hill Road

Charleston, NY 12066

Attention: Supervisor Robert Sullivan

Email charlestonsupervisor1@gmail.com

If you have further questions contact Jim Capron at 1-518-698-3502.

Proposals received after the scheduled time and date will not be accepted. Facsimile and email proposals will not be accepted.

For the full RFP Please Click HERE

RFP: Citywide Historic Resource Survey (CHRS) for the City of Erie, PA

The City of Erie, Pennsylvania is seeking a consultant to conduct a Citywide Historic Resource Survey (CHRS) to identify important historic and cultural resources. Through community engagement and surveying, information shall be collected and then inputted into the PA-SHARE system. The consultant must meet the Secretary of the Interior’s Professional Qualification Standards (U.S. National Park Service) https://www.nps.gov/articles/sec-standards-prof-quals.htm and shall work with the City, City Historic Review Commission, and PASHPO/through PA-Share to conduct this citywide survey. The CHRS must include the entire City of Erie jurisdictional area.

RFP ISSUED: April 16, 2024

RFP DUE DATE: May 23, 2024 by 3:00pm

RFP SUBMISSION METHOD: Scanned PDF via email to holson@erie.pa.us

 For more information please refer to the PDF below

DOWNLOAD: https://cityof.erie.pa.us/wp-content/uploads/2024/04/City-of-Erie-Citywide-Historic-Resource-Survey_for-publish_24_4-16.pdf